A special CBI court has acquitted a Haryana judicial officer and his parents in a dowry-death case that dates back over 12 years. The case is related to the death of his wife, who was found with bullet injuries in Gurugram.
The court acquitted Ravneet Garg, who was serving as the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Gurugram at the time, along with his parents, in connection with the 2013 dowry-death case.
Garg’s wife, Geetanjali, was found dead in July 2013 near the Gurugram police lines area. She had sustained bullet injuries.
Ravneet Garg was posted as the Gurgaon CJM at the time of the incident in July 2013.
The case was initially investigated by the Haryana Police. Later, it was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a request by the victim’s family.
In its chargesheet filed in December 2016, the CBI accused Garg and his parents of causing Geetanjali’s death in connection with dowry demands.
The Gurugram Police had originally registered the case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Arms Act.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Rajeev Goyal acquitted all three accused, Ravneet Garg, his father K.K. Garg, and his mother Rachna Garg, of all charges on Tuesday, according to their counsel, Terminder Singh.
The court’s detailed judgment has not yet been released.
The defence counsel said the CBI later altered the charge to Section 304B (dowry death) of the IPC at the time of filing the chargesheet and falsely implicated the accused.
He further stated that during the trial, allegations related to dowry demands and cruelty were found to be baseless.
The defence also argued that there was no evidence of marital discord or harassment. It was pointed out that even on the day of her death, Geetanjali had spoken normally with her parents and did not raise any complaint.
Singh added that while an initial medical board had opined that Geetanjali was killed, the CBI later framed the case as a dowry-death matter against the accused.
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